Service interfacing for telephony

ABSTRACT

During a telephone call between a telephone user and an interactive response system, the user is enabled to use only his voice and key presses on a numeric keypad of his telephone to interactively specify information that can be used to control delivery of content to a visual display of, or a storage medium accessible by, a target telephone which may be a land-line phone, a mobile phone, or some other device acting as a telecommunications device. The target telephone has a visual display or a memory to display or store the delivered content, which may include ringtones, text messages, games, wallpapers, ring-back tones, video clips, web pages, applications, or links to information. The user is enabled to engage in an interaction with the response system that is representative of an interaction between the user and a server connected to the Internet. On behalf of the user, a separate interaction is conducted with the server through the Internet based on the representative interaction. Information is received that can be used to identify the user and the target device. Based on the received information, user authentication information is transmitted to the user, the authentication information is received from the user, and the user is allowed to access a service.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to service interfacing for telephony.

BACKGROUND

Cell phone users, for example, can not only conduct the usual voicephone calls but also have access to a wide variety of additionalfacilities based on digital data carrying services provided by mobilephone carriers. Cell phones users can, for example, transmit textmessages to one another, send and receive email using the Internet, andbrowse the World Wide Web either through proprietary interfaces ordirect access to Internet servers. One use of these services is todownload content such as ringtones and video games. In the word“content” we include images, text messages, video material, sounds,audio material, programs, and web pages. Sounds may include ringtones,which play when a user receives a call, and ring-back tones, which areplayed to a caller to inform them of the recipient's phone is ringing.Another use is to subscribe to services that automatically transmitcontent to a user periodically. Although user devices designedspecifically to take advantage of such functions sometimes includelarger screens than hand-held devices, standard QWERTY-layout keyboards,and faster-than-normal data connection capabilities, cell phones withsmall screens and numeric keypads are also capable of accessing thesedata services.

Integrated Voice Response (IVR) systems enable users of telephone orother voice-based communications technologies to interact with databasesand other information resources using their voices and touch-tonesignals generated by their phones. In telephone banking, for example, abank account holder may access his accounts by speaking his accountnumber and other identifying information or by entering numbers on hisphone's keypad. The IVR not only provides an interface for userinteraction, but also acts as an intermediary by interpreting the user'sspeech or touch-tones generated by his phone, relaying the enteredinformation to the bank's computer systems, and converting the bank'sresponse into speech that the user can understand over the phone.

SUMMARY

In general, in one aspect, during a telephone call between a telephoneuser and an interactive response system, a user is enabled to use onlyhis voice and key presses on a numeric keypad of his telephone tointeractively specify information that can be used to control deliveryof content to a visual display of, or a storage medium available to, atarget telephone.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Theuser's telephone may include a land-line telephone, a mobile phone, amobile computer, or another device acting in the capacity of atelecommunications device. The target telephone may include the user'stelephone, the user's mobile phone or other device, or the telephone ofsomeone other than the user. The interactive response system may includean IVR system. The content may include a ringtone, a text message, agame, wallpaper, a video clip, a ring-back tone, an application, a webpage, or a link to information. The content may be delivered by asupplier of content. The supplier of content may be independent of theinteractive response system. The information specified by the user mayinclude an identification of the content. The information specified bythe user may include billing information. There may also becommunication with a service provider with respect to delivery of thecontent based on the information specified by the user. There may beinteraction with a service provider to cause the content to bedelivered. The service provider may be independent of the interactiveresponse system. Information provided in connection with the telephonecall may be used to manage a user account associated with the user.Information may be automatically obtained during the telephone call thatidentifies the user, and the information identifying the user may beused to instruct a third party to bill the user for the content. Thethird party may provide telephone services to the user.

In general, in one aspect, during a telephone call between a telephoneuser and an interactive response system, the user is enabled to engagein an interaction with the response system that is representative of aninteraction between the user and a server connected to the Internet,and, on behalf of the user, a separate interaction is conducted with theserver through the Internet based on the representative interaction.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thetelephone call may be conducted on a bandwidth-limited channel and theseparate interaction through the Internet may be conducted on ahigher-bandwidth channel. At least part of the telephone call and partof the separate interaction through the Internet may occur at the sametime. At least part of the telephone call and part of the separateinteraction through the Internet may occur at different times. Theserver may be independent of the interactive response system.Information may be automatically obtained during the telephone call thatidentifies the user, and that information may be used to identify theuser to the server.

In general, in one aspect, during a telephone call between a telephoneuser and an interactive response system, the user is enabled to use onlyhis voice and key presses on a numeric keypad of his telephone tointeractively specify information that can be used to control deliverytransaction, information is automatically obtained during the telephonecall that identifies the user, and the information is used to facilitatethe transaction.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Theinformation that identifies the user may include a caller ID, asubscriber ID, or a handle. An account of the user may be managed basedon the automatically obtained information and the information specifiedby the user.

In general, in one aspect, during a telephone call between a telephoneuser and an interactive response system, information is received thatcan be used to identify the user, based on the received information,user authentication information is transmitted to the user, theauthentication information is received from the user, and the user isallowed to access a service.

Among the advantages of the invention are one or more of the following.Users of cellular or land-line telephones that do not have datacapabilities, or who do not wish to or cannot use whatever datacapabilities their phones have, can use services intended for users whocan and do use phones with data capabilities. Users of phones that dohave data capabilities can use these services in a simplified manner.They can use these services by dialing their telephones in a manner towhich they are accustomed for making telephone calls. The interactivevoice response system may have a faster connection to a network such asthe Internet than the user's telephone or other device has, and, byrelaying information between a user and servers on the Internet, it mayallow the user to access information from servers faster or moreconveniently than they could if they were directly communicating withthose servers using their device's data capabilities.

Other general aspects include other combinations of the aspects andfeatures described above and other aspects and features expressed asmethods, apparatus, systems, program products, and in other ways.

Other advantages and features will become apparent from the followingdescription and claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-7 are a block diagrams.

FIG. 8 shows a mobile telephone device.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1, when a user 114 wishes to communicate with a serviceprovider 130, she may use a telephone 112 to call an IVR 100 over acommunication line 116. The communications line 116 could be a telephonenetwork, a cellular network, a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP)connection, or another method of voice communication. If the serviceprovider were a bank, for example, the user could dial a number providedby the bank and be connected to an IVR operated by or on behalf of thebank.

Within the IVR 100, an interface 102 connected to the communicationsline 116 generates signals to communicate in both directions with theuser 114. In one direction, the IVR can provide voice response or voiceprompting to the user, for example. In the other direction the IVR canreceive speech and touch tones from the user and the user's phone.

The audio (voice) signals to be transmitted to the user 114 are providedby a speech generation module 104 over line 124. The speech generationmodule 104 could synthesize voice from a data source 105 such as storedtext or text provided to it, or could play back recorded real speech.The user's speech or touch-tones corresponding to her button presses ona telephone 112, are passed by the interface 102 to a voice & tonerecognition module 106. The voice & tone recognition module 106interprets the words spoken by the user 114 or the tones generated bythe telephone 112. A controller 108 receives the user 114's input asinterpreted by the voice and tone recognition module 106 over line 126and may, in appropriate cases command the speech generation module 104over line 120 to generate an appropriate output in cases where a spokenprompt or a spoken response is needed. The controller 108 is incommunication with the service provider 130 through a services interface110 and lines 122 and 128. By communication with the service provider130 and based on its own programming, the controller 108 determines whataction (if any) to take in response to the user 114's input and whatoutput (if any) to instruct the speech generation module 104 to produce.The response could include hanging up, asking for more information, orproviding information from the service provider to the user by voiceresponse, for example. The telephone 112 could be a land-line telephone,a mobile phone, a mobile computer, or some other device acting as atelecommunications device.

The lines 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128 could each be an analogor digital communication link. Any two or more of the interface 102, thespeech generation module 104, the voice & tone recognition module 106,the controller 108, and the services interface 110 could be partially orfully integrated into a single unit, for example, a computer,eliminating the need for one or more of the dedicated lines 118, 120,122, 124, or 126. Any of one or more of the interface 102, the speechgeneration module 104, the voice & tone recognition module 106, thecontroller 108, and the services interface 110 could be implemented insoftware or in hardware or a combination of the two, and may be locatedat a single site or distributed in multiple locations. The IVR 100 orany of its components may be operated by the service provider 130 andlocated at its facilities or may be operated by an independent operatoror located separately from the service provider 130's facilities. Theservice provider 130 could be anything that receives or providesinformation or services, from a single computer to a multinationalcorporation.

Users of cellular telephones or other portable devices, such as PDAs,increasingly use cellular data networks to communicate with serviceproviders, either directly for a service offered by their networkproviders, or through the Internet in other cases. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the user 114 uses a device 200 to access a cellular data network202 over a wireless link 206, and through the network to access a dataservice provider 204. The data service provider 204 is connected to thecellular data network 202 though a link 208. The link 208 could be awireless link directly to the cellular data network 202, or it could bea wired or wireless link to an intermediate point, such as an operator(not shown) of the cellular data network 202. The data service provider204 could be an interactive service that provides information, services,or products to the user 114, or an intermediary service that causestransmission of information, services or products to the user 114 from athird party 210 through links 212 and 214. The device 200 could be amobile phone, a mobile computer, or some other device capable ofconnecting to cellular data network 202.

One example is a ringtone service, in which the user 114 sends a textmessage to the data service provider 204 indicating her preferencesrelated to ringtones, and the data service provider 204 then transmits aringtone to the user 114 which she can then use on her cellular phone.The ringtone is stored in a memory 804 on the device 200, as shown inFIG. 8. The user 114 might include payment information in her initialmessage, or the data service provider might bill the user 114 throughher service provider 216, with which it communicates over a link 218.

Interaction by the user with the data service provider 204 can be madesimple, quick, cheap, and pleasant, especially in the context of abandwidth-limited channel, by enabling the interaction with the IVR (orother user interfacing system) to occur over a telephone system 300(FIG. 3) using lines 302 and 304. The line 302 is a communications linkprovided by the user 114's telephone service provider 310, which couldbe wireless if the device 200 is a cell phone, or wired if the device200 is a land-line phone. The link 304 is whatever link the IVR 100 hasto the telephone system 300, such as a traditional land-line telephoneservice. The IVR could be operated by the telephone service provider insome cases. The telephone system 300 could be the public telephonesystem or it could be a private telephone system, or a combination. Anyof the links 302 and 304 or the telephone system 300 could be replacedin this example by another voice-based communications system such asVOIP.

The IVR 100 in turn communicates with the data service provider 204 overa link 306. The IVR 100 converts voice or tone input provided to it bythe user 114 into data input expected by the data service provider 204.Similarly, it converts any response from the data service provider 204into speech which it communicates back to the user 114. To use thissystem, the user 114 need only enter a standard telephone number intothe device 200 to reach the IVR 100 and then simply speak to and listento the IVR 100 or press numbers on the device 200. Dialing, speaking,listening, and pressing numbers are actions that any user of a phone hasalready learned and knows how to use intuitively.

In some implementations, illustrated in FIG. 4, the user's 114interaction with an Internet-based server can be made faster, easier,and more intuitive by connecting the IVR 100 through a high-bandwidthlink 404 to the Internet 400. Then the IVR conducts high-speedinteraction with, for example, the World Wide Web instead of the userusing a lower bandwidth link and a browser that is constrained by asmall screen and a numeric keypad of a typical hand-held device. Theuser 114 uses the device 200 to communicate with the IVR 100 over thelinks 302 and 304 and the phone system 300, or another voice-basedcommunications system such as VOIP, as in FIG. 3. Because thehigh-bandwidth link 404 provides a fast connection to the Internet 400,the IVR 100 can convert the user 114's input into Internetcommunications, transmit them to a host 402 connected to the Internet400 by a link 406, and convert any response to voice and read it back tothe user 114 more quickly than the cellular data network 202 of FIG. 2could have transmitted the user 114's input and returned the 402'sresponse in digital form.

In the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4, the service or host with which the IVR100 is communicating on behalf of the user 114 may requireidentification of the user 114, or the IVR 100 may require suchidentification itself. As illustrated in FIG. 5, instead of requiring ortrusting the user 114 to provide such identification, the identificationcan be provided by the phone system 300 via a caller ID message 500. Theidentification could be a subscriber ID or a handle, for example, if theuser is using a telephone system that does not support caller ID. TheIVR 100 could communicate that identification to any service provider orhost with which it communicates. This could be done in a pre-arrangedfashion, if a service provider, e.g., the data service provider 204 inFIG. 3, is equipped to receive caller ID information. In someimplementations, it could be done on the fly, for example, byautomatically providing identification information that is requested byan Internet host, e.g., Internet host 402 in FIG. 4, skipping the stepof reading to the user 114 the request for identification and getting aresponse from the user 114. At some level of the transaction, in the IVR100, at the service provider 204, or somewhere else in the process, theidentification provided by the caller ID message 500 is processed andcan be used to look up or create an account with integration into theuser 114's service provider's billing system or a credit card billingsystem 502, which may be in communication with the IVR 100 over a link504. The information provided in the caller ID message may also be usedto determine that the caller is using a cellular phone.

In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 6, the IVR 100 may direct aserver 600 to directly provide something to the user 114. The user 114uses the device 200 to communicate with the IVR 100 through the phonesystem 300, as before. In response to the user 114's input, the IVR 100sends a command 606 to the server 600. The server 600 sends, forexample, some content 608 to the user 114. The content is then displayedon a visual display 802 or stored in a storage medium 804 or 806, asshown in FIG. 8. The server 600 might also be instructed to send somecontent 610 to another user 602 using a 15 device 604. For example, theuser 114 may request that a ringtone be sent either to himself or to theuser 602 by providing the user 602's phone number or otheridentification. The IVR relays that request to the server 600, and theringtone is sent as the content 608 or 610 to the device 200 or 604,respectively, and stored in the storage medium 804 or 806. Content thatis suitable for visual display, such as a wallpaper or a game, may bedisplayed on the visual display 802 instead of or in addition to beingstored in the storage medium 804 or 806. The content 608 and 610 may becommunicated using a cellular data network as in FIG. 2, or, ifsuitable, could be communicated via the phone system 300 or any othermeans of transmitting content to a device. The content may betransmitted once, or may be transmitted on a recurring basis, forexample a ringtone of the week service. Any charges for the content maybe based on the caller ID message 500 or on information provided by theuser 114 at the time he requests the content. Such a service can beadvantageous when the results of a request must be sent as data, but therequest for that data can more easily be communicated over the phone.The visual display 802 may be a text display, such as for displayingtext messages, or a graphics display capable of displaying videos,wallpapers, video games, or other visual content. The storage medium 804may be an internal memory built into the device or it may be a removablememory, for example a memory card. The network storage medium 806 may bea storage medium not integrated with the phone but accessible by itthrough connection 808, which may be a short-range wireless network, acellular data network, a data cable, infrared communication, or someother means. Storage media 804 and 806 may be any of a volatile memory,a flash memory, a hard disk, or any other form of memory used forstorage of data.

Rather than sending the content directly to the user, the IVR 100 maydirect the server 600 to send a message to the phone that contains alink to the desired service or content. When the user receives themessage and opens the link, he is connected to the service or contentthrough the phone's data capabilities as if he had navigated to thatpoint using the phone's data capabilities, for example a mobile webbrowser, in the normal manner. Such a service can be used to simplifythe process of accessing services through the phone's data capabilities,for example by simplifying the information that must be provided to auser for him to find a particular services. Instead of instructing theuser to navigate through a particular series of mobile web pages, theuser can be given a phone number that, when called, will cause the IVR,through a server, to send the user a link directly to the final page ofthe series.

In some implementations, a server or service provider with which a useris in communication needs to verify the identification provided by theuser. As shown in FIG. 7, the user 114 is in communication with a server706 through a relay 702 over links 708 and 710. The relay 702 and links708 and 710 could be one of the examples of FIGS. 2, 3, 4, or 6, oranother method of communicating between the device 200 and the server706. The server 706 could be a data service provider 204 (figures. 2,3), an internet host 402 (FIG. 4), a server 600 (FIG. 6), or anothersimilar device or service. The user 114 provides his phone number orother appropriate address-type identification, e.g., an email address,to the server 706, and the server 706 sends a message containing a token704 to the user 114 according to the phone number or other address-typeidentification provided. The message is transmitted through a messagesystem 700, which could be a Short Message Service (SMS) operated bycellular telephone operators, or the Internet email system, or anothermethod of transmitting digital messages to devices. When the device 200receives the message containing the token 704, it relays the token 704back to the server 706. If the token 704 is returned intact, i.e., thedata comprising it has not been altered, or has been altered in anexpected manner, the server 706 can be confident that the identificationprovided by the user 114 was in fact the user 114's identification. Thetoken 704 could be data representing an encrypted value, such that theuser 114 could not determine what value to send to the server 706 if hewished to forge the token 704, or it could be an Internet link that theuser 114 must follow to demonstrate the authenticity of the informationhe provided.

In some implementations the features of FIGS. 6 and 7 are combined, aswhen a user wishes to purchase content using one phone, but have thatcontent delivered to a different phone, as in FIG. 6, and further wishesto have the charges for the purchase collected through the receivingphone's account with a cellular service provider. The user 114 providesthe phone number of the receiving phone 604 when purchasing content.Before the content 610 is transmitted, the IVR sends a message, e.g., anSMS message, through message system 700 to the designated receivingphone 604 asking the recipient 602 to take some action to confirm thepurchase. When the recipient 602 takes that action, e.g., by replying tothe SMS message, the IVR instructs the server 600 to transmit thecontent 610 and sends a message over a link 712 to the user 602'scellular service provider 216 instructing it to charge the user 602 forthe content.

In one implementation, a user dials the number for a ringtone vendor onher cell phone and makes the call using her cellular service provider.The call is routed to an IVR operated on behalf of the vendor by an IVRoperator. The IVR answers the call and plays recorded and synthesizedspeech to the user to tell her about the ringtones available from thevendor. In addition, when the call is connected, the cellular serviceprovider transmits a caller ID message identifying the caller to theIVR. When the user hears the description of the ringtone she wishes topurchase, she speaks or presses buttons on her cell phone as instructedby the IVR. Before gathering billing information, the IVR maycommunicate with the vendor to inquire whether the user already has anaccount for which billing information is known. If not, the IVR connectsto the cellular service provider to verify that the user can be chargedfor her purchase through the cellular service provider.

If the user cannot be charged through her cellular service provider, theIVR asks the user to enter credit card information. Upon receivingappropriate billing information, the IVR transmits the user'sidentification, purchase selection, and billing information to thevendor. The vendor then creates an account for the user, if she does notalready have one, charges her for her purchase, and transmits theselected ringtone to the user's phone using MMS, WAP Push or otherprotocols for transmitting information to a cell phone. The ringtone isthen stored in the phone's storage medium or in available networkstorage. Alternatively, the IVR could handle the account creation andbilling, and simply inform the vendor what ringtone to send. The userreceives the purchased ringtone on her cell phone.

In some implementations, after creating an account for the user andreceiving the user's ringtone preferences from the IVR, the vendor maytransmit new ringtones to the user periodically, charging her each timeaccording to the billing information stored in the user's account.

Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

For example, instead of purchasing ringtones, a user could use the IVRto subscribe to a service that sends periodic text messages on somesubject, e.g., daily bible verses or news headlines. A user could usethe IVR to purchase games, wallpaper, or other downloadable digitalmedia.

1. A method comprising during a voice communication between a user'sdevice and an interactive response system, enabling a user to engage inan interaction with the response system that is representative of aninteraction between the user and a server connected to the Internet,and, on behalf of the user, conducting a separate interaction with theserver based on the representative interaction, and receiving at amobile device a communication from the server separate from the voicecommunication with the response system, at least part of the voicecommunication occurring while at least part of the separate interactionis being conducted.
 2. The method of claim 1 in which the communicationfrom the server comprises delivery of content to a storage mediumaccessible by a target mobile device.
 3. The method of claim 1 in whichthe user's device comprises one or more of a mobile computer, or adevice acting in the capacity of a telecommunications device.
 4. Themethod of claim 2 in which the storage medium is one or more of anintegrated component of the target mobile device, a removable componentof the target mobile device, external to the target mobile device, andaccessible by the target mobile device through a network.
 5. The methodof claim 2 in which the storage medium is one or more of a computermemory, a flash memory, a hard disk, and an optical disk.
 6. The methodof claim 2 in which the content is to be delivered by a supplier ofcontent.
 7. The method of claim 6 in which the supplier of content isindependent of the interactive response system.
 8. The method of claim 2also including communicating with a service provider with respect todelivery of the content based on information specified by the user. 9.The method of claim 1 also including using information provided inconnection with the voice communication to manage a user accountassociated with the user.
 10. The method of claim 2 also includingautomatically obtaining information during the voice communication thatidentifies the user, and using the information identifying the user toinstruct a third party to bill the user for the content.
 11. The methodof claim 10 in which the third party provides telephone services to theuser.
 12. The method of claim 2 in which the content comprises at leastone of a ringtone, a text message, a wallpaper, a ring-back tone, avideo clip, a web page, an application, and a link to information thatcan be accessed by the target mobile device.
 13. The method of claim 8in which the service provider is independent of the interactive responsesystem.
 14. The method of claim 8 in which the information aboutdelivery of content includes an identification of the content.
 15. Themethod of claim 1 in which the user communicates billing informationduring the interaction with the response system.
 16. The method of claim1 in which the voice communication is conducted on a bandwidth-limitedchannel and the separate interaction is conducted on a higher-bandwidthchannel.
 17. The method of claim 1 in which at least part of the voicecommunication occurring while at least part of the separate interactionis being conducted comprises at least part of the voice communicationand part of the separate interaction with the server occurring at thesame time.
 18. The method of claim 1 in which at least part of the voicecommunication and part of the separate interaction with the server occurat different times.
 19. The method of claim 1 in which the user's devicecomprises a mobile phone.
 20. The method of claim 1 in which theinteractive response system comprises an IVR system.
 21. The method ofclaim 1 in which the server is independent of the interactive responsesystem.
 22. The method of claim 1 also including automatically obtaininginformation during the voice communication that identifies the user, andusing the information identifying the user to provide informationidentifying the user to the server.
 23. The method of claim 1 alsoincluding automatically obtaining information during the voicecommunication that identifies a target device for content delivery, andusing the information identifying the target device for content deliveryto facilitate the delivery of content.
 24. The method of claim 23 inwhich the information that identifies the target device for contentdelivery comprises at least one or more of a caller ID, a subscriber ID,or a handle.
 25. The method of claim 23 also including managing anaccount of the user based on the automatically obtained information andthe information specified by the user.
 26. The method of claim 1 inwhich the mobile device receiving the communication from the server isthe user's device.
 27. The method of claim 1 in which the mobile devicereceiving the communication from the server is a mobile device otherthan the user's device.
 28. The method of claim 23 in which theinformation identifying the target device for content delivery alsoidentifies the user.
 29. The method of claim 1 also includingautomatically obtaining information during the voice communication thatidentifies the user, and using the information identifying the user tofacilitate delivery of content.
 30. The method of claim 2 in which thecontent comprises a ringtone.
 31. The method of claim 2 in which thecontent comprises a text message.
 32. The method of claim 2 in which thecontent comprises a game.
 33. The method of claim 2 in which the contentcomprises a wallpaper.
 34. The method of claim 2 in which the contentcomprises a ring-back tone.
 35. The method of claim 2 in which thecontent comprises a video clip.
 36. The method of claim 2 in which thecontent comprises a web page.
 37. The method of claim 2 in which thecontent comprises an application.
 38. The method of claim 2 in which thecontent comprises a link to information that can be accessed by thetarget mobile device.
 39. The method of claim 2 in which the contentcomprises downloadable digital media.
 40. The method of claim 23 inwhich the information that identifies the target device comprises anaddress associated with the target device.
 41. The method of claim 29 inwhich the information that identifies the user comprises an addressassociated with the user.
 42. The method of claim 41 in which theaddress associated with the user is an e-mail address.
 43. The method ofclaim 41 in which the address associated with the user is a telephonenumber.
 44. The method of claim 29 in which the information thatidentifies the user comprises an address associated with the user'sdevice.
 45. The method of claim 1 further comprising using informationspecified by the user during the interaction with the response system tofacilitate the delivery of content.
 46. The method of claim 1 in whichthe voice communication comprises a telephone call.
 47. The method ofclaim 1 in which the user's device comprises a telephone.
 48. The methodof claim 1 in which the separate interaction with the server isconducted through the Internet.
 49. The method of claim 1 in which thecommunication from the server comprises delivery of content to a visualdisplay of a target mobile device.
 50. The method of claim 49 in whichthe content is to be delivered by a supplier of content.
 51. The methodof claim 50 in which the supplier of content is independent of theinteractive response system.
 52. The method of claim 49 also includingcommunicating with a service provider with respect to delivery of thecontent based on information specified by the user.
 53. The method ofclaim 52 in which the service provider is independent of the interactiveresponse system.
 54. The method of claim 52 in which the informationabout delivery of content includes an identification of the content. 55.The method of claim 49 also including automatically obtaininginformation during the voice communication that identifies the user, andusing the information identifying the user to instruct a third party tobill the user for the content.
 56. The method of claim 55 in which thethird party provides telephone services to the user.
 57. The method ofclaim 49 in which the content comprises at least one of a ringtone, atext message, a wallpaper, a ring-back tone, a video clip, a web page,an application, and a link to information that can be accessed by themobile device.
 58. The method of claim 49 in which the content comprisesa ringtone.
 59. The method of claim 49 in which the content comprises atext message.
 60. The method of claim 49 in which the content comprisesa game.
 61. The method of claim 49 in which the content comprises awallpaper.
 62. The method of claim 49 in which the content comprises aring-back tone.
 63. The method of claim 49 in which the contentcomprises a video clip.
 64. The method of claim 49 in which the contentcomprises a web page.
 65. The method of claim 49 in which the contentcomprises an application.
 66. The method of claim 49 in which thecontent comprises a link to information that can be accessed by thetarget mobile device.
 67. The method of claim 49 in which the contentcomprises downloadable digital media.
 68. An interactive response systemcomprising a communications interface configured to engage in a voicecommunication with a user's device, the voice communication including aninteraction representative of an interaction between the user and aserver connected to the Internet, and a services interface configured toconduct, on behalf of the user, a separate interaction with the serverbased on the representative interaction, at least part of the voicecommunication occurring while at least part of the separate interactionis being conducted, and enable the user to receive at a mobile device acommunication from the server separate from the voice communication withthe response system.
 69. The interactive response system of claim 68 inwhich the voice communication comprises a telephone call.
 70. Theinteractive response system of claim 68 in which the user's devicecomprises a telephone.
 71. The interactive response system of claim 68in which the services interface is configured to conduct the separateinteraction with the server through the Internet.
 72. The interactiveresponse system of claim 68 in which the communications interface isconfigured to automatically obtain information during the voicecommunication that identifies a target device for content delivery, andthe services interface is configured to use the information identifyingthe target device for content delivery to facilitate the delivery ofcontent.
 73. The interactive response system of claim 72 in which theinformation that identifies the target device for content deliverycomprises at least one or more of a caller ID, a subscriber ID, or ahandle.
 74. The interactive response system of claim 72 in which theinformation that identifies the target device comprises an addressassociated with the target device.
 75. The interactive response systemof claim 68 in which the communications interface is configured toautomatically obtain information during the voice communication thatidentifies the user, and the services interface is configured to use theinformation identifying the user to facilitate delivery of content. 76.The interactive response system of claim 75 in which the informationthat identifies the user comprises an address associated with the user.77. The interactive response system of claim 76 in which the addressassociated with the user is an e-mail address.
 78. The interactiveresponse system of claim 76 in which the address associated with theuser is a telephone number.
 79. The interactive response system of claim75 in which the information that identifies the user comprises anaddress associated with the user's device.